Syria strikes

The UN Security Council will meet Saturday (Apr 14) at Russia's request to discuss air strikes launched by the United States, France and Britain on Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack. UN Security Council to meet over Syria strikes, photo AFP Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will brief the council during the public meeting scheduled for 1500 GMT (11pm Singapore time), a UN official said. Guterres said in a statement earlier that all countries should "show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people." Western officials said a barrage of cruise and air-to-land missiles hit what they said were sites linked to chemical weapons development. The one-night operation hit three targets: a scientific research facility in the Damascus area, a chemical weapons storage site west of the city of Homs and a command post near Homs, the US military … [Read more...] about UN Security Council to meet over Syria strikes

Russia flexed its military muscles on Tuesday as it launched strikes in Syria for the first time from a submarine stationed in the Mediterranean, ratcheting up its bombing campaign in the war-torn country. MOSCOW: Russia flexed its military muscles on Tuesday (Dec 8) as it launched strikes in Syria for the first time from a submarine stationed in the Mediterranean, ratcheting up its bombing campaign in the war-torn country. Moscow's latest strikes have hit "300 targets of different kinds" in the past three days and helped Syrian special forces recover the black box of the Russian warplane downed by Turkey last month, defence minister Sergei Shoigu said. "We used Calibre cruise missiles from the (Kilo-class) Rostov-on-Don submarine from the Mediterranean Sea," Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin during an encounter broadcast on state television. "As a result of the successful launches by the aviation and submarine fleet, all targets were destroyed," Shoigu said, adding that oil … [Read more...] about Russia launches first Syria strikes from submarine

President Barack Obama said Wednesday he had not yet decided whether to strike Syria, but expectations of US military action hardened when Washington said a bid for a last-minute UN mandate was futile. WASHINGTON, District of Columbia: President Barack Obama said Wednesday he had not yet decided whether to strike Syria, but expectations of US military action hardened when Washington said a bid for a last-minute UN mandate was futile. Political uproar in London meanwhile cast doubt on whether Britain will join American military action to punish President Bashar al-Assad's regime for a chemical weapons attack should the response take place before next week. And a team of UN inspectors pressed on with its hazardous work in Damascus, testing victims of the alleged poison gas attack, which killed hundreds of people last week and threatens to draw reluctant Western states into a civil war. Obama, who has warned that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would cross a US "red line," said … [Read more...] about Obama undecided on Syria strike as US gives up on UN

(VOVworld) - The military intervention in Syria planned by US President Barack Obama has won the backing of key figures in the US Congress controlled by the Republican Party. Leaders of both Republican and Democratic parties pledged their support on Wednesday in a press conference following their meeting with Obama. Speaker of the US House of Representatives John Boehner said the use of chemical weapons must be responded to. Only the United States has the capability and the capacity to stop Assad’s regime and to warn others around the world that this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi added that Washington must respond to actions “outside the circle of civilized human behavior”. To win this critical support, Obama made use of this short time prior to his Sweden visit to persuade the Congress, vowing that the military plan would deliver important results while keeping the United States out of a larger war. Obama said Syria … [Read more...] about Congressional leaders back Obama for Syria strike

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved a resolution giving US President Barack Obama authority to take military action against Syria over its use of chemical weapons on civilians. By 10-7, the resolution will go to the full Senate next week for ratify. The Senate committee approved a plan that would give Obama authority to order limited strikes against Syrian military targets for 60 days. He could extend the window by another 30 days under certain conditions. The resolution does not authorize the use of ground troops. It states that military action must be aimed at deterring and preventing Syria from carrying out future chemical weapons attacks. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad on Wednesday stated that Syria has right to defend itself and is willing to strike back all attacks, including attacks under the cloak of the United Nations. The same day, Ali Habib, a former Defense Minister and a prominent member of President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect, has … [Read more...] about US senate panel approves plan for Syria strike